Dustin Diamond

A former teen star, Dustin Diamond charmed as a child in "Big Top Pee-wee" (1988) and on "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" (The Disney Channel, 1988-89), which became the international teen smash "Saved by the Bell" (NBC ... Read more »

A former teen star, Dustin Diamond charmed as a child in "Big Top Pee-wee" (1988) and on "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" (The Disney Channel, 1988-89), which became the international teen smash "Saved by the Bell" (NBC, 1989-1993). Part of the original cast, Diamond played the ultra-nerdy Samuel "Screech" Powers, who provided most of the show's physical and over-the-top comedy. As the rest of the cast grew into adult beauties, the not-quite-as-photogenic Diamond was forced to work harder to squeak and mug for laughs, and he reportedly developed a resentment of his colleagues and for the double-edged sword of achieving fame as a joke character. Nominated for three Young Artist Awards, Diamond was a key element of every iteration of the franchise, helping anchor the spin-offs "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" (NBC, 1993-94) and "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" (NBC, 1993-2000). Reduced to a visual and pop culture punchline as an adult, Diamond responded by adopting an aggressive, hardened exterior, parodying himself in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" (2003), starring in his own pornographic film "Screeched" (2006), and writing a supposedly scandalous "tell-all" Behind the Bell. Sincerely or not, Diamond seemed to relish the nearly universal negative attention, including his shunning by his main five "Bell" co-stars. Although his teen stardom earned him a place in pop cultural immortality, Dustin Diamond wore the mantle uneasily at best. This eventually led to trouble with the law, including a pair of misdemeanor convictions related to a bar fight.